Apologies, I meant browser normalization, not polyfill. Go my terms mixed up. I also appreciate Tailwind’s pre-built sizings and quick ways to define breakpoint-base styling at the element level. That said, if you want absolute control rather than convenience, then Tailwind can be more of a hindrance than a help. I would rather not manage a lot of that myself for most of my projects.
Tailwind also doesn’t polyfill.
It uses CSS variables (custom properties) extensively. Which you can also do with just CSS.
Defining properties locally is a legit preference, but you can also use CSS for this.